How often do you clean pistol brass?

[Halo]

If the brass is really dirts, I wash it in soapy water to remove the bulk of the grit and dirt. After drying I tumble it in walnut media, then deprime. After that I tumble it again, this time in corncob media.

I love bright, clear, shiny brass.

 

[zxcvbob]

J0n,
Those of us that clean/polish our brass every time have a tumbler already. Since you don't have one yet, and you are shooting in a revolver, it's not so urgent that you clean yours so often.

 

[The Bushmaster]

After every use or every 6 months of disuse....Oops....You mean brass. Every time I load and fire them...Twice... Once before I run them through the resizing/decapping die and after resizing/decapping...I have clean and shinny brass...

 

[1SOW]

Homemade Chemical Clean

I'm just getting into reloading 9mm.
I got this formula from another forum and tried a sample cleaning. I roughly followed the recipe but only shook it a few times and let it sit for about 20 mins.
I was pleasantly surprised that all the cruddy range brass came out looking very good both outside and inside. I did it with the spent primers still in, so I had a chore to drain all the liquid out.
98% of the crud and discoloration had been removed inside and outside. A short tumbling after this cleaning and they should be like new or better, and the walnut (or whatever) media should stay clean MUCH longer.

If someone knows why this isn't a good practice please let me know, because it really works well, it's easy, and cheap..

In a plastic mayo jar (or whatever) mix 1 pint water, 1 cup white vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon of laundry detergent. When all the solids are dissolved, fill the jar half full of cases. Screw on the cap and and shake for about 10 minutes or until the cases are visibly cleaned of fouling. After cleaning, pour the solution into another jar to be reused. Wash the cases under tap water to clean off any residue, then you can air dry them in the sun or you can place them on pie tins in a mild oven for a few minutes.
I usually drain the liquid and cases through an old strainer into a plastic bin, then I just pour the liquid back into the jar. Make sense.
Some cases might turn a slight pink color. That's just a reaction to the vinegar and nothing to worry about. You can make more of the liquid to be used a one time by just doubling the recipe. I have used large plastic containers to do more cases at one time.

 

[zxcvbob]

Chloride (from the salt) + acid is not a good combination for brass. If you use this mixture, you should remove the brass a lot quicker than that (like maybe after *one* minute.) If you have a bottle of muriatic acid, just use a half a teaspoon or so of that in a pint of water and accomplish the same thing a lot cheaper than using vinegar.

 

[Flash!]

+1 for everytime...... to me its a matter of pride in loading quality ammo.....and part of the quality is being shiny and clean.....and I also know I can better inspect the brass when its clean....

 

[cpttango30]

Like many of the other guys here I just throw them in for a few house after the range trip is over.

Then they go into a big cookie tin left over from a christmas a few years ago. I just pull them as needed to reload.

 

[evan price]

Every time, a speck of grit in your resizing die may not hurt it once, but over time you will scratch your brass a lot. Plus the cases work a lot easier when clean VS dirty.

I just dump them in the tumbler before I go to bed, when I wake up, it's to nice clean brass.

 

[shootinxd]

+1 for every time.

 

[stubbicatt]

It only takes a couple hours in the tumbler to come clean. So that's what I do. Besides I take a certain pride in my handiwork, and clean brass is a good starting place.

 

[deadasslast2004]

I just use the good old tumbler

drop it in and pull it out the next morning when I awake.

 

[moosehunt]

Without fail, I clean them at least every 10 or 12 loadings--well, maybeso sometimes I don't do it that often. To me, it's a waste of time, as they don't shoot any better when shiney. Admittedly, I don't make a habit of dropping my brass on the ground, though.

 

[Jacka L Ope]

+1 - clean every time.

 

[1SOW]

zxcvbob

Chloride (from the salt) + acid is not a good combination for brass. If you use this mixture, you should remove the brass a lot quicker than that (like maybe after *one* minute.)

Uh, oh. What is the result of using it on brass?
The gentleman that offered the recipe said it came from an old NRA article about the 1911.

I read not to use ammonia to clean brass that it slowly removes/separates copper from the compound.

For this reason, I tried the above white vinegar mix hoping it would be ok for brass.

P.S.Brasso contains ammonia and I used and/or saw it used on brass for 26 years in the military.

 

[Quickdraw McGraw]

Chalk me down for another "every time".

As previously mentioned I do it for easier case inspection and for my dies!

 

[The Bushmaster]

1SOW...If you only use that recipe once to clean up very dirty brass that has a little discoloration you will be O K. It's not a good idea to use it as your primary cleaning solution. A vibrator tumbler is the best solution for every day cleaning...

I've been using it in the above manor for years and it works well...Do remember that good brass isn't that expensive so use good judgment, inspect and when in doubt, toss. Rinse well, dry and tumble...

 

[1SOW]

The Bushmaster
Thanks. Good advice.

P.S. The way things are going (China, inflation, gas/shipping costs, & political candidates for president), now might be a good time to REALLY stock up on and brass and bullets.

 

[j0n]

I got my new tumbler in the mail yesterday, a Lyman Turbo Twin model with both the 600 and 1200 size bowls. I used some crushed walnut, a capful of Nu Finish, and tossed in some 45 ACP brass that I've been saving up. I let it run for a few hours and the brass is nice and shiny and clean now.

The 600 bowl has a clear top, and I thoroughly enjoy watching the brass move around. It's even more exciting than watching a front-loading washing machine.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[45ACPUSER]

Handgun brass gets processed when the 5gal pail gets full! I then tumble the brass and store cleaned. I like clean brass for reloading, and it helps with case inspection. I find that tumbling with Iosso in corb cob media leaves the case nice and ready to go. Clean brass is better for you reloading die set's well being!

 

[CBS220]

I don't. I've never seen any reason to- it shoots just as well dirty as clean for me.